Representative Men Seven Lectures

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Overview

"Representative Men" is a collection of seven lectures given by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the mid-19th century. The lectures explore the lives and ideas of several influential figures from history, including Plato, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Napoleon, and Goethe. Emerson uses these figures as examples of what he calls "representative men," individuals who embody the ideals and principles of their time and culture. He argues that by studying the lives and works of these individuals, we can gain insight into the broader patterns of human history and society. Each lecture focuses on a different figure and their unique contributions to philosophy, literature, politics, or culture. For example, the lecture on Shakespeare examines his role in shaping the English language and his insights into human nature, while the lecture on Napoleon discusses his military and political achievements. Throughout the lectures, Emerson emphasizes the importance of individualism, creativity, and self-reliance. He argues that these values are essential for anyone seeking to make a meaningful contribution to society and that they can be cultivated by studying the lives of representative men and women from history. Overall, "Representative Men" is a celebration of human potential and a call to action for individuals to pursue their own unique paths in life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789357486392
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	801 KB

About the Author

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on 25 May 1803, in Newbury, Massachusetts. He was an American writer, speaker, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet. Less than two weeks before Emerson's eighth birthday, on May 12, 1811, his father died from stomach cancer. When Emerson was nine years old, his official education at the Boston Latin School started. In 1824, Ralph Waldo Emerson received his degree from Harvard Divinity School. In 1827, he wed Ellen Louisa Tucker, and the two of them settled in Boston. I have not forgotten the calm and joy, Ellen said as she died in 1831. After his wife died in 1832, Emerson resigned from the ministry. He traveled around Europe in 1833 and later wrote about his experiences in English Traits (1856). On July 24, 1872, Emerson's Concord house caught fire. Emerson's career as a serious lecturer came to an end with the fire. Emerson went on vacation to England, continental Europe, and Egypt while the home was being renovated. He stopped making public appearances in 1879 due to memory issues. He was diagnosed with pneumonia on April 21, 1882. Six days later he died.

Read an Excerpt

"Emerson is a writer who grows restless if he stays too long with any proposition. And so, as one of his most intelligent modern readers, Judith Shklar, has pointed out, he built Representative Men around the principle of 'rotation,' which had become a political axiom in Jacksonian America—the idea that no man, no matter how imposing, should be accorded permanent authority. Representative Men honors the language of democracy in its very title, and it employs political metaphors throughout. 'We are multiplied,' the opening chapter declares, 'by our proxies.' "

—From the Introduction by Andrew Delbanco

Table of Contents

Historical Introduction

Statement of Editorial Principles

Textual Introduction

REPRESENTATIVE MEN: SEVEN LECTURES

1. Uses of Great Men

2. Plato, or the Philosopher

Plato: New Readings

3. Swedenborg, or the Mystic

4. Montaigne, or the Skeptic

5. Shakspeare, or the Poet

6. Napoleon, or the Man of the World

7. Goethe, or the Writer

Notes

Textual Apparatus

Annex A: The Manuscript

Appendix 1: The 1850 Compositors

Appendix 2: Revisions in the Manuscript

Annex B: Parallel Passages

Index

Preface

"Emerson is a writer who grows restless if he stays too long with any proposition. And so, as one of his most intelligent modern readers, Judith Shklar, has pointed out, he built Representative Men around the principle of 'rotation,' which had become a political axiom in Jacksonian America—the idea that no man, no matter how imposing, should be accorded permanent authority. Representative Men honors the language of democracy in its very title, and it employs political metaphors throughout. 'We are multiplied,' the opening chapter declares, 'by our proxies.' "

—From the Introduction by Andrew Delbanco

Andrew Delbanco is Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. Among his many publications are The Puritan Ordeal and The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope (both from Harvard).